5 June, 2026

Top education news stories

Explore this week’s news roundup to uncover the key challenges and priorities for schools across the country.

6 min read

1. DfE ‘hits 70% of 6,500 teachers target’, but overall workforce shrinks

Official data shows the school workforce in England has shrunk in size for the first time since 2019, writes Schools Week.

The DfE has released its annual school workforce data. It reveals fewer entrants to the profession, as well as leavers.

The government says it has hit 70% of its target to recruit 6,500 additional teachers, as official data shows the school workforce has shrunk for the first time since 2019.

The recruitment strategy was only released in February as part of the schools white paper, but the DfE says it has so far recruited 4,654 additional secondary, special and further education teachers against its pledge.

The data shows this comprises 3,008 secondary and special teachers, alongside 1,646 in further education recruited since the 2023/24 academic year.

In total, this makes up 71% of the 6,500 pledge, the DfE said.

However, the school workforce has started to shrink for the first time since 2019, with the number of teachers falling for the second year in a row. There was a full-time equivalent school workforce of 984,610 in 2025-26, down from 986,125 the year before.

Despite this, the number of teachers in special and pupil referral units increased by 3.9%. The number of support staff overall increased slightly, driven by an increase in the number of teaching assistants of 6,200.

Finally, data also reveals that the number of entrants to the profession and those leaving the profession have both shrunk.

Source: DfE ‘hits 70% of 6,500 teachers target’, but overall workforce shrinks (schoolsweek.co.uk)

2. Half of primary pupils now taught in academies

The DfE has published its latest census figures on schools and pupil characteristics, writes Tes.

Half of state primary school pupils are now educated in an academy, according to the latest government data.

A year ago, figures showed that the total number of academies had outnumbered maintained schools for the first time – and that divide has continued to grow.

The DfE has published the figures in a wide-ranging annual breakdown of schools, pupils and their characteristics, taken from its latest census data.

As of January 2026, 48.8% of state primary schools are academies or free schools (46.1% in 2025), accounting for half (49.9%) of the primary school population, up from 47.3% in 2025.

Meanwhile, 83.9% of state secondary schools are academies or free schools (up from 83%), accounting for 83.6% of secondary students (82.7% in 2025).

And 53.1% of state-funded special schools are academies or free schools (up from 49.6%), encompassing 49.7% of special school pupils (46.4% in 2025).

Source: Half of primary pupils now taught in academies (Tes.com)

3. Trusts with higher disadvantage and SEND face 75% bigger deficits

Analysis sparks calls for reform of funding and accountability systems to better support academy trusts with high numbers of vulnerable pupils, writes Tes.

Deficits in financially struggling trusts are almost 75% bigger in those serving higher numbers of pupils from low-income families and with special educational needs. The £320 per-pupil gap highlights the need for funding and accountability systems to recognise the challenges of providing targeted support, say experts.

The analysis looked at the 261 academy trusts that recorded financial deficits over the three years to 2024/25, with the aim of focusing on those facing consistent financial pressures rather than one-off shocks.

Trusts with above-average levels of pupils on FSM and pupils with SEND had a median deficit of £756 per pupil over three years, compared with £436 among the trusts where both factors were below average.

The findings suggest that, even among trusts that are persistently struggling financially, those serving intakes with higher levels of disadvantage and SEND are under significantly more financial strain.

In trusts consistently operating at a deficit, those with higher-than-average numbers of pupils receiving SEN support had a median cumulative deficit of £737 per pupil over three years.

This compares with £449 for those with lower-than-average SEN support: a £288 gap.

Source: Trusts with higher disadvantage and SEND face 75% bigger deficits (Tes.com)